Awards:Part of winning submission for Housing Architect of the Year Award 2013Winner Housing Design Award 2014New London Awards 2014 - Best Mixed Use Scheme

Faircharm Creative Quarter restores
and remodels a series of large industrial warehouses on the Deptford Creek edge
in East London into a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood of 148 homes, creative
workspaces and enhanced public spaces.

Two of the retained warehouse buildings fronting onto Creekside Road
have been carefully reconfigured and refurbished to create a series of studio
spaces, workshops and an extended café and gallery for use by residents and the
local community. The insertion of courtyards within the retained blocks creates
a succession of informal and active work / social spaces and allows more
natural light to enter the buildings. The entrance to the site has been opened
up, creating a central route through the scheme and new views through to the
Creek Edge.

Further into the site, a series of four new buildings, ranging from 6 and
12 storeys provide additional high-quality studio and gallery spaces with
residential accommodation on the upper floors. The taller 12 storey apartment
building marks the Creek Edge. Its chamfered corner responds to its position
within the protected viewing corridor from Blackheath to St Pauls.

A series of legible spaces and views are created between the retained buildings and
new-build elements, designed to respect the urban grain of the historic
district with its network of courtyards and alleys and creates a new public connection
to the Creek Edge. The commercial ground floor uses of the residential
buildings activate the public realm and help establish the scheme as a new
destination for the local community.

The refurbishment strategy retains the industrial character of the
existing buildings while sensitively combining new elements through a considered
selection of materials and detailing. Residential buildings are crafted from a palette
of cream, brown and grey brickwork to reflect the character of the local area,
while the taller, 12 storey apartment building is constructed from a darker
brick, giving it its own individual character.

Robust concrete finishes at lower and ground level are reflected in the projecting
balconies on the residential buildings, and a brickwork
pattern on elevations provides variety and interest up-close. On the upper
floors, pre-weathered, profiled metal cladding helps to break down the scale of
the buildings and define specific views.

The landscaping and planting
throughout the scheme has been directed by a requirement to protect and enhance
the biodiversity of the site. The design team worked closely with the local
Ecology Centre who specified a seed mix for indigenous plant species. The project achieved a BREEAM Very Good rating and CfSH 4/5 by
incorporating CHP and photovoltaic panels for renewable energy.

The site is located on an axis
formed by New Cross and Deptford Town Centre which the local council sees as a
strategic regeneration area in the coming years. The project responds to its
unique location on the edge of Deptford Creek within this context, creating a
new district for people to live and work.